Newcastle United faced off against Brighton and Hove Albion earlier today hoping to pick up a win in their first home match of this campaign. The Magpies made a sloppy start to the game as they conceded an early penalty and got punished when Neal Maupay converted the resulting spot-kick successfully to put the Seagulls ahead. The away side grew into confidence and scored again just three minutes later via another goal from Maupay. Steve Bruce’s men struggled to create any worthwhile opportunities to score in the first 45 minutes and found themselves two goals down at the half-time interval.
Newcastle were a bit more creative in the second half but didn’t manage to find the cutting edge in the final third. Aaron Connoly put the contest to bed with his decisive goal in the 83rd minute. The Tyneside giants ended up suffering a disappointing 3-0 defeat at home to the side from south-coast of England.
Let’s take a look at how each Newcastle player fared during the match against the Seagulls.
GK: Karl Darlow – 5/10
He was well-beaten for all three of Brighton’s goals today but pulled off a few decent saves to keep the scoreline down.
RB: Javier Manquillo – 4/10
The Spaniard began the game well but struggled to give a good account of himself throughout the 90 minutes. He failed to be a decent outlet for Newcastle down the right flank.
CB: Jamaal Lascelles – 4.5/10
He made some important tackles in the first 45 minutes but found it difficult to deal with Maupay’s threat.
CB: Federico Fernandez – 4/10
Fernandez gave away too many fouls in what was a dismal performance from him at the heart of Bruce’s defence.
LB: Jamal Lewis – 5/10
He got cautioned for a late challenge midway through the first half and was walking a defensive tightrope for the remainder of the match.
RM: Jeff Hendrick – 4/10
The former Burnley player looked uncomfortable down the right flank and produced an uneventful display today.
CM: Jonjo Shelvey – 6/10
The ex-Liverpool talent was quite inventive with his passing despite picking up a caution early in the game.
CM: Isaac Hayden – 5/10
Hayden failed to command the midfield and was mostly a frustrated member of the Newcastle starting XI.
LM: Allan Saint-Maximin – 3/10
He gave away an early penalty with a cheap foul on Lamptey and had to come off injured after the half-hour mark.
ST: Andy Carroll – 5/10
The English centre-forward struggled to make an impact during his time on the field.
ST: Callum Wilson – 5/10
The English striker wasted a glorious chance to score with his header as he couldn’t direct the ball on-target. He will be hoping for more productive outings at St. James’ Park.
Substitutes:
LM: Ryan Fraser – 5/10
The Scottish winger never looked like he had a goal in him.
CAM: Miguel Almiron – 6/10
He was bright and full of energy after coming on at half-time.
ST: Joelinton – 5/10
Joelinton was the last throw of the dice by Bruce.
